Part of this whole problem is that the mental health commitment laws in this state are inadequate. In Louisiana, for instance, family, friends, landlords and employers can swear out an affidavit for an "Order of Protective Custody," which allows the police to pick up and transport a mentally ill person to the emergency room for medical evaluation. The mentally ill can be committed by two separate physicians on an emergency basis on the grounds of being "gravely disabled due to an underlying mental condition." This allows physicians to evaluate people who are too confused, intoxicated or psychotic to provide for their basic needs, food, shelter, access to medical care, safety, etc.

In Oregon, the grounds for holding a person are, basically, if they are imminently suicidal or homicidal. This law does not capture the people who become victims of excessive force here who would benefit from earlier intervention, i.e. the gravely disabled.

Though I realize that excessive force is a multifaceted problem, filling in this gap in the commitment laws would allow earlier and safer intervention for those in need of medical care. Acute mental illness is unfortunately characterized by an inability to know that one is ill and in need of medical help.

An expansion of the commitment laws would provide safer and better access to emergency care.